It’s amazing to think about how far Vanessa Gilles has come in such a short period of time.
Originally a tennis player while growing up in Ottawa, she switched to soccer as a teenager and earned a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati where she won several individual honours before eventually turning pro.
Gilles quietly flew under the radar before making her international debut for the Canadian women’s team in 2019 and only had six caps under her belt going into the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The central defender was a depth player at the start of the tournament, but overtook veteran Shelina Zadorsky for a spot in the starting 11 by the time the competition was over, having played a pivotal role in helping her country win a gold medal.
Three years later, Gilles is still a starter for Canada, and is still coming up big in key moments for the Canadian team.
Facing elimination squarely in the face for a second straight match at the Paris Olympics, Canada kept alive its hopes of repeating as gold medal champions with a gutsy 1-0 win over Colombia in Group A action on Wednesday at Allianz Riviera in Nice, France. And for the second game in a row, it was Gilles who scored the winner in a must-win match for the Canadians, who will now meet Germany in Marseille in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Fair to say that tennis’s loss has been Canadian soccer’s monumental gain, especially at these Olympics.
Gilles won universal plaudits for her stellar performances in Tokyo, earning the nickname “The Magnet” from her teammates on account of the way she always seemed to draw the ball to her and then cleared it out of danger when opposing attackers were threatening to score.
In Paris, Gilles’ sobriquet has taken on an entirely new meaning. Oh, she’s just as defensively sound as she’s always been, partnering with fellow centre backs Kadeisha Buchanan and Jade Rose as part of a Canadian defence that has only been breached twice across three group-stage matches.
But the ball has also managed to find her in dangerous attacking positions in each of the last two matches. In the final minute of injury time against France on Sunday in Saint-Étienne, Gilles expertly held her position inside the box as teammate Jordyn Huitema’s shot from distance forced a save from goalkeeper Constance Picaud. The rebound fell kindly to Gilles who showed great composure in firing a shot that hit the near post and tucked inside the net to propel the Canadians to a last-gasp victory.
On Wednesday in Nice, Gilles was at it again. This time she timed her run inside the penalty area to perfection, slipping between a trio of Colombian defenders on the edge of the six-yard box to connect on a header off a gorgeous free kick from captain Jessie Fleming that found the back of the net in the 61st minute.
It was nothing more than what Canada deserved after effectively dealing with Colombia’s aggressive pressing and counter-attacking style through the opening half, and then applying ample pressure of its own on the South Americans’ defence immediately after the halftime break.
And while Fleming’s pinpoint delivery was crisp, Gilles’ finish was positively sublime, showing a killer instinct and an impeccable sense of timing in front of goal that would be the envy of any top striker.
At 28, Gilles isn’t the most experienced player amongst Canada’s 22-member roster (including alternates). Fleming and Buchanan both made their debuts for Canada while still teenagers over a decade ago and since then have combined for more than 280 appearances. With only 44 caps, Gilles’ international apprenticeship has quite some distance left to travel.
But there’s no question that in the absence of iconic retired captain Christine Sinclair, it’s been Gilles, more than any of her teammates, who has emerged as one of Canada’s most important and vocal leaders at this tournament.
The Canadian women have been dogged by allegations of cheating in Paris in the aftermath of the team’s six-point deduction and a one-year ban of coach Bev Priestman stemming from the ongoing drone/spying scandal.
Many Canadian players have spoken out and defended their reputations, but it was Gilles’ passionate post-game interview with the CBC after the win against France that stood out as the most forceful defence of the team’s record.
“What’s given us energy is each other, is our determination, is our pride to prove people wrong; our pride to represent this country when all this s*** is coming out about our values, about our representation as Canadians… We’re not cheaters. We’re damn good players. We’re a damn good team. We’re a damn good group and we proved that today,” Gilles stated.
She’s been just as passionate in rallying the troops on the field, too. When New Zealand took a surprising 1-0 lead in the 13th minute against the run of play in Canada’s opening group stage match, it was Gilles who quickly summoned her teammates for a quick on-field huddle to keep them focused on the task at hand. The Canadians ended up recording the first of two back-to-back wins with a 2-1 decision over the New Zealanders.
Her goal-scoring exploits have been great, to be sure. But it’s the unshakable character that Gilles has displayed at the Olympics, with a constant black cloud hovering over her team, that has caught the attention of so many onlookers.
Count Canada Soccer Hall of Famer Amy Walsh, who earned 102 caps for the Canadian women’s team from 1997 to 2009, among those who have been impressed with Gilles in Paris.
“Her performances and her leadership have been emblematic of the remarkable character, grit and resilience shown by the team as they ran the table in Group A. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to witness the emergence of a particular kind of leader in real time, in big moments and on a big stage; Vanessa Gilles is that fearless leader,” Walsh told Sportsnet.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.